EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AS A LOCAL PUBLIC GOOD

The aim of this study is to identify key indicators that qualify employment opportunities as a local public good, considering both their qualitative and quantitative characteristics, as well as associated crowding-out effects, externalities, and free riding that occur during their creation and consumption. This research is relevant due to significant regional disparities in employment opportunities within the Russian Federation, which have undergone substantial changes since the 1990s, particularly as a result of the extensive transformation of the Russian economy. The study identifies the main indicators characterizing employment opportunities, including: the ratio of job seekers to job vacancies; the burden of the unemployed population registered with employment services per declared vacancy; the unemployment rate; the labor force participation rate; the employment rate; the average job search time for the unemployed; and the tension coefficient in the region. A comparative analysis of the indicators for employment opportunities in the Rostov and Volgograd regions was conducted, alongside an examination of the factors influencing these indicators. Based on the analysis, a conclusion is made about the presence of both direct and indirect links between the income and expenditure of the population, the level of investment, and other indicators of socio-economic development, on the one hand, and employment opportunities, on the other.